Edwards throws his hat in the ring for Obama’s VP. McCain takes a pasting from The Huffington Post over Social Security.

Edwards for VP (again?) – Real Clear Politics had another update for their “VP watch” today – apparently John Edwards has said he’d “seriously” consider an offer for the ticket. RCP’s take on it? Don’t bet on it. “If Edwards were still the left-of-center candidate he was back in the ’04 campaign, then the odds get better. But Edwards turned sharply left for the ’08 campaign, attempting to pick up the leftovers of the Deaniacs.”  — Real Clear Politics

McCain on Social Security – The Huffington Post has weighed into John McCain over Social Security, likening his attitude to that of George W. Bush and his GOP predecessors. Speaking at a Denver ‘Town Hall’ meeting, McCain said the social security system is a disgrace. But it was his comment that “Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today,” which earned the Huff’s ire:

“Senator McCain’s comment is yet another example that he is out of touch. It is a disgrace that after being in the U.S. Congress for 26 years, the Senator doesn’t understand how the Social Security system works. It’s always been pay-as-you-go, with today’s workers paying for today’s retirees.” — Huffington Post

TV versus the DNC – Remember the West Wing episode where White House staffers were frantically tying to convince the TV networks to cover the Democratic national convention in full? Well, yet again life at Capitol Hill is set to imitate art. We reported yesterday that networks were considering scaling down DNC coverage in response to Obama’s decision to shift his nomination acceptance speech out of the traditional venue and into a football stadium. One blog responded with such snark we thought it was worth a mention:

“We’re all going to pay through the nose for the delicious, yummy change we’re being promised, and the first to be hit hardest are the broadcast networks that will be airing the coronation of Lord Obama at Invesco Field.” — Jammie Wearing Fool

The Candidates on Iraq – The Washington Post has an analysis piece looking at how both candidates are attempting to clarify their Iraq strategies. Obama in particular has come out strongly defending his approach to ending the conflict in Iraq, saying he hasn’t moved towards the centre, or changed his belief that he would lead a careful withdrawal from the conflict. — Washington Post

Jesse Jackson apologises for ‘crude’ remarks on Obama – Civil rights campaigner and former Presidential hopeful Jesse Jackson has publicly apologised to Barack Obama for some off the cuff comments he made about the presidential candidate while being recorded by Fox News. The comments were made about Obama’s recent remarks aimed at the black community. He may have been weighing in on Obama’s recent call for black fathers to be more present for their families. His widely reported father’s day speech said too many black fathers are “missing from too many lives and too many homes”.

Jackson reaffirmed his support for Obama and his campaign, saying “My appeal was for the moral content of his message to not only deal with the personal and moral responsibility of black males, but to deal with the collective moral responsibility of government and the public policy which would be a corrective action for the lack of good choices that often led to their irresponsibility.”

So far, Jackson’s comments haven’t been broadcast, but he pre-empted them with a public apology to Obama for his “crude” and “hurtful” remarks. — The Guardian

War in the liberal blogosphere – The current Vanity Fair has a feature looking at the very active, very partisan world of the small l-liberal political blogs in America – and the fallout of the split into Hillary and Obama factions. Has the effect been to give the Republicans and the White House a free pass? — Vanity Fair